10 Mindful Minutes: A Mini Meditation to Guide You Toward the Home You Want

It really feels good to be moving into the second week of the Cure, right? Whether or not you got every last bit of the first few assignments done (it’s all good, really!), I’m hoping you are feeling some positive, forward movement toward a cleaner, more organized home since we began last Monday. Think about where you were before we got started, where you are at now and where you want to get to… and then, let’s dive back in. ONWARD! We’re taking it easier today with something that is quiet, mindful and, to balance out your busy weekend, very quick. You won’t need to spend more than 10 minutes or so on today’s two assignments, but there is learning here that will definitely help you throughout the rest of the Cure – and the rest of the year.

In The Eight Step Home Cure, Maxwell explains the reason to take the time for this simple, yet vital step well. He writes: Most of us develop flow patterns within our apartments that are so strong that after some time we rarely stray from them. If not for cleaning, we might never set foot in many corners of our own home or see it from any other perspective. The lovely, fresh objectivity that you had on the day you moved in easily gets lost as furniture arrives and life moves on.

Let’s gain some of that fresh perspective back.

Find a spot in your home that you rarely (maybe never!) sit in that gives you a view on a room or area that you feel is especially problematic. Take a seat on a chair (or the floor) and just observe for ten minutes. Turn off TV, radio, music and your phone – this is a quiet exercise and is most effective with focus and concentration.

1. Look around the room and try to imagine what it would look like empty. Recall what it was like when you moved in.

2. Once you have done that, focus on whatever part of the room that you feel is the most problematic and imagine removing the “stuff” from that area – furniture, belongings, everything. Now, start rebuilding that area, adding back in only what feels right and looks good in your minds eye.

3. Make note of what changes you envision and move forward with some additional clarity about how you truly want your home to be; what you need and what you can move forward without.

More from the book: Problems often loom large but are caused by very specific, small elements. This exercise is not intended to make your interior problems disappear, but it will allow you to begin to isolate specific changes that you want to make and steer past the anxiety of feeling a whole room needs to be changed.

Think of this as a great diagnostic tool for helping to cure any area of your home that needs attention. Repeat as needed in different rooms of your home as you move forward – no need to overdo it tonight, but consider doing this exercise again at any time throughout the Cure process when you are unsure of what to do next to help improve a room, what you might want to add to your outbox or what needs cleaning and repair.

Now that you spent a little time meditatively musing about your vision for what your home can (and will!) be, it’s the perfect time for you to choose a project that you really want to get done this month.

Keep in mind that the list you created earlier this week is your master roadmap to many worthwhile projects you’ll do for your home in the coming year. This project choice is just the first step and completing it successfully is key to sticking with the concept of caring for your home moving forward. So, don’t feel like you have to do more than one right now – choose wisely and well on which single project (small is ok!) will be good to start with and remember, you’ll be plenty busy doing the basics this month, so this is just a cherry on top!

Choose one that fits the below criteria:

– A project that can be completed this month, in a few hours. Remember, you’ll be very busy with the rest of your Cure assignments, so don’t get overly ambitious in your choice – stay practical on the time commitment required.

– A project that will make a noticeable difference in either how you use your home (organizing, flow), how something works (repairs) or how things look (decluttering, cleaning, decorating).

Once you’ve made your choice, do the following:

– Commit! Tell us exactly what single project you’ve decided to tackle in the comments below. It’s a good idea to make a commitment to the whole group on what your goal project is – the more of us that participate fully, the more strength we all have as a group to really get the work done!

You can work on it at any time, of course, but I have built in time specifically for you to spend on this project, too, so don’t worry about getting it done immediately. But, if you will require materials or items to complete it that you don’t have, taking time to order or shop for them this week is a good idea.

I’m looking forward to hearing what we’re all going to accomplish this month – be sure to add to the comment thread and have fun choosing and prepping your project!

You Can Still Join The January Cure: